Over and Out There

An enjoyable aspect of working on News Stream (among many!) is the daily challenge of finding a quirky story to round off the show. “Over and Out There” is our attempt to have a laugh or to look at a key news item in a different light.

At each show meeting, the team comes armed with story suggestions – and inspired ideas as to how we should tell each tale. But what makes a good “Over and Out There”? Obviously, there are no strict rules, but looking at the two weeks of News Stream to date, there are definitely some recurring themes.

• Animals doing funny or amazing things. We’ve had rats detecting landmines in Tanzania and goldfish monitoring water quality in Seoul ahead of the G-20 summit. And at least two of the team get unfeasibly excited every time they see a picture of a cat chasing an alligator or a crocodile biting an elephant’s trunk.
• Any story about a leader or high-profile figure that has an amusing angle. For example, Tiger on Twitter yesterday was just begging for the “Over and Out There” treatment, as everyone wants to know what pearls of wisdom he has to offer in his mission to reinvent himself. And Prince William and Kate Middleton’s impending nuptials have been widely covered – but how much do people know about Anglesey, the Welsh island that will be their home? Another great excuse to take a major story and put a unique News Stream twist on it.
• A combination of the above. Who can resist Vladimir Putin hugging a puppy? The News Stream team can’t. And nor should you!

But we’d like to know what tickles your fancy. What – apart from beasts and big shots – makes you laugh when you read the day’s news? Please leave you comments below – or you can drop the team a line via Twitter.

@klustout

@RaviCNN

@AllyCNN

@Melissa_CNN

@NicolCNN

We aim to entertain, as well as inform!